Lord Jagannath in trouble yet again

Puri: With the Temple Administration of Lord Jagannath declining to recognise and include in talk the Chhatisha Nijoga Mahasammelani, the body of the servitors, the dispute over the repairing of the main prayer hall of the temple has today deepened further. The disgruntled servitors who walked out from today`s meeting have threatened not to allow the repair work till their demands were fulfilled.

The chief administrator of the Srimandir Administration Pradip Kumar Mohapatra today raised questions over the legality of allowing the Chhatisha Nijoga Mahasammelani, the body of traditional servitors of the three deities, in talks regarding the repair of the Jagamohan, the main prayer hall of the temple, and asked if it was a recognised body. The irate servitors walked out from the meeting protesting the attitude of the temple administration.

Later the administrator Pradip Kumar Mohapatra said that technically speaking the body of servitors has no locus stand and is not a recognised body and hence there was no point in accommodating the servitors in talks pertaining to repair works of the historic temple.

The servitors on the other hand accused that the temple administrator was trying to create division among the servitors and even misbehaved with them in the meeting. The servitors have threatened that they would not allow the ASI to do the repairs until a whitepaper was submitted about the ASI`s work in the last 35 years.